b. 1912, Westconnie, Texas, USA. John Hogg was the impetus behind Smokey Hogg’s (his cousin) decision to pursue a music career in Los Angeles in 1947. John had been there since 1942, after several years of roaming which took him as far from his Texas home of Greenville as Denver, Colorado and Oklahoma - where he worked as a rodeo performer. He was never a committed bluesman but did have the advantage of being taught some guitar by the Los Angeles-based Pee Wee Crayton. Hogg played occasional gigs, retaining his day job. He recorded for Mercury Records and Octive in 1951, probably on the strength of his relationship with Smokey, and proved himself a performer of some ability. His practice of treating music as a sideline continued, although he did record again for Advent Records in 1974, appearing that year at the San Diego Blues Festival.